Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

soft-core misery porn

Turbulence by David Szalay

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An older woman is on a plane. She and her seatmate are strangers. There is a bout of – wait for it – turbulence, that inserts her into her seatmate’s life. So it begins; a series of lives briefly touching lives from one story to the next. I’m sure that I was meant to feel something while reading this; something was supposed to catch my breath, quicken my heart rate- it was supposed to hit emotionally. Really, I just felt Szalay going through the motions. […]

Nice Little Encyclopedia of Trivia

The Book of London Place Names by Caroline Taggart

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Best for: Those who like to have access to basic trivia about places they live or visit. In a nutshell: Author Taggart provides some history in an accessible way. Worth quoting: “…no one seems to be sure, but there was probably once …” (Seriously, it seems like for half the names, this is the answer.) Why I chose it: Moved to London. Wanted to learn more. Review: I think this is the last of the books I bought on sort of a whim when I […]

Great Guide to the Most Magically Stress-inducing Theme Park

The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2020 by Bob Sehlinger, Len Testa

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The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2020 by Bob Sehlinger My rating: 4 of 5 stars Having read “The Unofficial Guide to Universal Orlando Resort” several times and had a successful trip to UOR, I decided it was time to see what advice they had for a trip to Walt Disney World. I wasn’t disappointed. This book is quite thick considering there’s four parks that comprise WDW as well as an abriged section on UOR (apparently a lot of people make UOR a part […]

Stolen History

Unfamiliar Fishes by Sarah Vowell

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Going into Unfamiliar Fishes, my knowledge of Hawaii was sparse, to say the least. I can’t say that we covered any Hawaiian history in school- not even that it is our “newest” state. Information came in fits and starts; a friend of mine teaches Hula through VSA, I was familiar with Captain Cooks adventures (and one serious misadventure) in the archipelago, and I caught an old episode of No Reservations. Embarrassing, I know. I had nothing to write home about. Enter Sarah Vowell and her “almost oral […]

“Rooting around in the presidential innards”

Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell

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Listening to Assassination Vacation is like taking a road trip with your strangest friend. Well, Sarah Vowell is on a road trip- and is unabashedly strange- but having her narrate the journey to you is a little cozy, a little crazy, a little creepy- and a LOT of fun. Her morbid fascination with presidential assassins (both would-be and verified) and the zeal for putting friends and relatives into uncomfortable situations is a hoot, and the audio experience feels like gossiping with your own partner-in-crime. She […]

Terrible Book Supposedly About Travel

Wherever You Go: A Guide to Mindful, Sustainable, and Life-Changing Travel by Daniel Houghton

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Please note that I received this book via NetGalley. This did not affect my rating or review. So I am seriously annoyed by this book. This book was supposed to be a memoir of the former CEO of Lonely Planet, Daniel Houghton that showed how travel changed his life and how it impacts everyone around you. Instead, we have Houghton dancing around what sounds like troublesome parts of his life (somewhere in there he got divorced) and just interviewing the rich and famous in traveler […]



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